A biased look at psychology in the world

November 02, 2010

Koro Epidemic Strikes Indian Labour Camp

Workers at a labour camp in the Aarey Milk Colony near Mumbai, India have recently begun complaining that their genitals are shrinking and retreating into their bodies. One victim, Govind Rai, reported feeling "extreme heat emanating from my body. My genitalia were retracting and I was really worried. Later, on my friends' advice, I jumped into a tub of iced water and sat there for three to four hours." The treatment was apparently successful and Rai had a complete cessation of all symptoms. At least twenty-five other workers (all male) reported similar symptoms with most victims coming from the Bengal and Orissa areas of India. While a medical doctor was called in on the case, no cause for the outbreak could be determined and medical treatment provided little relief. The possible role of chemical or infectious agents at the work site has also been ruled out. In many cases, victims sought advice from relatives who advised them to use iced water based on old folk remedies. A police investigation has been carried out although the matter is not seen as suspicious.

While outbreaks of koro (a culture-specific syndrome involving belief that the genitals are shrinking and retreating into the body) are most common in China and other parts of south-east Asia, sporadic cases have also been reported in other countries such as Thailand, India, and even western nations such as Canada. Typically involving Chinese immigrants, possible cultural diffusion have led to cases involving non-Chinese victims as well. Shrinking penis epidemics have also been reported in African nations and outbreaks of workplace-related mass hysteria remain well-documented in clinical and historical literature.